It is commonplace that princely ensigns armorial embodied dynastic continuity and rightful territorial possession. Either impressing elites in an exclusive palace setting or showered upon the masses by the ephemeral machinery of festive spectacle, they are usually considered plain instruments of worldly domination. However, their iconography was not always that uncomplicated. The Spanish Monarchy’s heraldic patrimony in particular consisted of various symbolic conventions, evoking a strenuous history of state...

The collaborative blog Heraldica Nova is an initiative of the Dilthey-Project ‘Die Performanz der Wappen’ (University of Münster) which aims to study medieval and early modern heraldry from the perspective of cultural history. Read more ...